Tread.



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

lVlLLIAM Il'. BROWN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 629,951, dated August 1, 1899.

Application filed November 10, 1898. Serial No. 696,082. (No model.)

the like are under certain conditions of the.

weather quite slippery, rendering walking over the same tiresome and dangerous. Lead, which has the characteristic of preventing slipping, is, as is well known', of itself not durable, being soft and wearing easily and rap.

idly .under the abrasion of passage over the same. In my invention I take a hard durable material and form suitable channels or recesses therein, into which I cast the lead, so that the surface thereof shall primarily be somewhat above the surface of the material of which the base is composed, at the same.

time providing suitable anchors by which such lead may be retained in place.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicatelsimilarv parts, Figure l is a top or plan View, lona 're-- duced scale,ot' a section embodying myin'vention of a forni especially designed to form aV tread for"use ou stairways; Fig. 2, af similar but full-size view of a portion thereof; and Figs. 3 and 4, detail seotional-views-on the dotted lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, in Fig.2.

In .said drawings'the portions markedA represent the base, and the lead lstrips.

therein.

It will be understood that in all cases where in this specification and the appended claims I make use of the term lead I mean tof'be understood as meaning any equivalent soft metal which may bef'nsed for the purpose.

The base A may be of any suitable material, suchas cast-iron, and contains `grooves to receive the lead, which preferably cross each other at short distances-apart. In the drawings I have shown these grooves as run'- nin g at right angles with each other, and thus forming squares; but `obviously they may run' in such directions as desired, 'giving the intervening spaces any preferred form.- At suitable'points, preferably at the intersections of the' grooves, I form holes a of a dovetail formation or with the larger Iend down to receive and hold anchors formed on or attached tothe lead strips. Figs, 3, and 4.are fnll.

sized drawings of portions Vof the structure which'l have actually made' and used in the building of iron stairways embodying my said invention. Between the grooves I make shallovr depressions in the surface of the base, leaving those portions ,which immediately bound the grooves comparatively narrow and raised above the general level. This is not of importance when the plates are nevv and while the lead Vprojects `above the adjaccent surface; but when the projectinglead is worn od and reduced to thelevelof such adjacent surface this form becomes'of very material consequence to the perfect operation of the' device for the reason that only a very small proportion of the iron ever cornes in contact .with the boot or shoe'of Athe person walking over tli'esame, while if the iron were left with a plaipulevel surface it'would shortly after 4 thev lead was Worn down become'worn smooth, invvhich case a much greater proportion of the entire surface would be smooth and slippery than with my present construction embodying the depressions in question.

The lead strips B are placedin the grooves in the base A, being preferably east therein after the said base is formed. These strips have at suitable intervals, preferably at the inter- 'sections of t-hegrooves where they cross each other, projections b, which extend down into the holes a, for-med in the base, and become anchors', by which the strips are secu rely held `to the base, asis clearly shown in Fig. 4.

rAs will be readily u nder-stood, persons walking on agstructure composed of a. plate or plates embodying this invention step at rst only upon the lead surface, which, as above stated, is very adhesive, and after the lead has been worn until it becomes level with' the iron it will still come in contact with portions of the sole'ot' the boot orl shoe, as the lead obviously will not wear any more rapidlythan the iron, and consequently such a step, sidewalk, or other way will maintain its antislipping qualities until worn out, While the lead, being lirnily anchored therein, as dc-` scribed, is securely held in place.

I have shown and described this invention as applied to the treads of stair-steps, but obviously it may be applied to sidewalks, areaways, or any other situation Where an antislipping surface is desired Without further change than" is involved in making` the sec-4 tions of the proper shape and size for the situation to be supplied.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a tread for stairs, sidewalks, tre., of a base containing grooves and widery plane depressed surface portions between said grooves, and strips of lead secured within said grooves and'projecting to above the adjacent portions of the surface of the base, whereby a lead surface is continuousl y presented with which the boots or shoes of persons passing over the same will come in contact and be prevented from slipping, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, in a tread, of a base.

having grooves in its upper side and anchorholes at intervals extending through f rom the bottom of said grooves to its lower side,`and lead cast into said grooves and anchor-holes,

thereby forming a securely-anchored anti' slipping walking-surface, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a tread for stairs, sidewalks, &c., of a base containing grooves in its upper surface and having holes extending from the bottom of said grooves through W'ILLIAM Il. BROVN.

W'itnesses;

CHESTER BRADFORD,- JAMEs A.'WALsH.

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